Soft beetle: why they call him a firefighter
All sorts of bugs with stable warming are actively engaged in different work. Many are incessantly swarming, doing some kind of incomprehensible activity to people. One of these permanently employed are representatives of soft beetles, firefighter beetles.
Content
What does a firefighter beetle (soft bowl) look like: photo
Description of fire bugs
Name: Firefighter beetle or red-footed soft-legged beetle
Latin: Cantharis rusticaClass: Insects - Insecta
Squad: Coleoptera - Coleoptera
Family: Soft-balls - Cantharidae
 | Habitats: | temperate climate |
 | Dangerous for: | small insects |
 | Means of destruction: | most often not needed |
Beetle firefighter.
These bright unusual bugs look very bright and original. Distinctive are small thin antennae that constantly move quickly. There is also a dark spot on the head. And the belly is bright, burgundy.
The wings are gray, the body is slightly flattened, it does not have a chitinous cover, but it is completely covered with hair. Since this representative is a predator, he has tenacious and sharp mandibles.
Habitat
Soft fireman.
Representatives of soft beetles are found in temperate or even cold climates. More important than the weather is the requirement to have enough food.
They live in cultivated places near people. Among fruit trees, raspberry bushes, plantations of gooseberries, currants, viburnum and various flowers. Firefighters were seen in gardens and orchards. But people rarely see it.
Diet preferences
A couple of firefighters.
Beetles "rescue vehicles" are of great help to gardeners and gardeners. They have powerful jaws that help them hunt various insects. The beetle clings to the victim's flesh and injects a venom that digests the victim's entrails. This type of feeding is similar to the way spiders eat. Prey is often:
- larvae;
- caterpillars;
- flies;
- aphids;
- little beetles.
All predators that are smaller than the hero of this story can fall prey. Especially if they have a soft body.
How the fire bug hunts
A very interesting method of hunting for a soft-boiled fireman. He flies well, in the process he looks out for a victim and evaluates his chances. When the future dinner is found, the beetle sits down immediately on it or in its immediate vicinity and bites.
Having injected the poison in this way, the beetle waits for some time for the tissues to soften and proceeds to the meal.
What does the larva eat
Fireman beetle larva.
Even in the state of the larva, firefighters are of great benefit. They live in old fallen trees, rotten stumps and remnants of wood.
There they find their victims. They eat small worms and larvae of wood pests, centipedes. Even at this stage, the larvae have well-developed mouthparts. But the type of nutrition as in an adult is extra-intestinal.
But in starvation conditions, beetles can devour the soft insides of greenery. Therefore, with a large distribution, they can become pests.
Life cycle and development
Firefighter beetles have a standard development cycle, which consists of a complete transformation. They gather in pairs at a stable warm temperature and mate.
Eggs are laid in a soft leaf bed. There should be old wood nearby, which will be the feeding place for the future young. The incubation period lasts 15-20 days.
The larvae are small, look like bright beads, covered with hairs. They crawl across the territory in search of food and a convenient place to live. They eat a lot and often.
By autumn, they eat up and sink into the ground. Some turn into a chrysalis, while others hibernate in the same form.
In the spring, at the first rays of the sun, hairy caterpillars come out of the ground to bask. They were nicknamed by the people "snowworms", for the early spring rise. A little later, the beetles themselves appear.
Natural enemies and protection from them
The bright and catchy color of the body shows birds, spiders and other insects that the soft beetle is dangerous. In the case when an incredulous animal tries to catch a firefighter, it can be rebuffed with a special poison or strong jaws.
Man has been and remains the main enemy and threat. "Machines" often suffer as a collateral loss from exposure to pesticides or pesticides. They are rarely hunted by domestic animals.
In the case when a large population has settled on the site and there is a risk of affecting the plants, the beetles are collected and taken out of the site.
Soft-bodied family
The fireman's beetle is often shortly referred to as the "soft beetle". But in fact, this is a large family, and the fireman is one of the famous representatives. All of them are predators, according to the name, have a soft shell and a bright color.
Beetles firefighters and people
These bright insects prefer not to run into people and have nothing to do with them. Therefore, at the sight of approaching danger, firefighters pretend to be dead - they press their paws. But if a person threatens them strongly, they can bite.
Otherwise, they are more useful: they expel pests. Moreover, even in a house in which cockroaches divorced, beetles can do a good job and quickly deal with them.
How to lure firefighters to the site
Several individuals living in the garden are the prevention of the appearance of pests. But they live where they have enough food, there are rotten trees and lying leaves, as well as a minimum of chemistry.
Gardeners shared their experience when they simply transferred a few individuals to the site and they took root.
How to expel soft-boiled firefighters
If a threat began to emanate from beneficial beetles and they bred too much, you should try to get rid of them. This can be done in several ways:
- Mechanical collection and removal outside the territory. You need to remember about caution and bites.
- By dusting with dry tobacco, wood ash or hot pepper, you can create an uncomfortable environment for the beetles, and they themselves leave.
- Chemical preparations are used in rare cases. Masha's crayon is suitable, which is used from cockroaches. It is crushed and scattered.
Conclusion
Bright and catchy beetles from the genus of soft beetles are nicknamed firefighters. Perhaps this is really due to the appearance, but if you take the name philosophically, you might think that they, as firefighters-rescuers, are real heroes and come to the rescue in trouble.
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